The Patriots didn’t want to let Bills wide receiver Sammy Watkins beat them on Sunday afternoon, so they put cornerback Darrelle Revis on him for the majority of the game.
The strategy worked out pretty well. Watkins caught two passes for 27 yards in the game, although the second catch was on the Bills’ final drive after the result was no longer in doubt. Watkins was also flagged for offensive pass interference during the game, which he said was a learning experience that will help him and Buffalo the next time they cross paths with the Patriots.
“He was good off the press, but I thought I did great against the press,” Watkins said, via the team’s website. “I beat him a couple of times off the press, I didn’t get the ball. There are things we have to clear out on the field. Once we watch film and they figure out how I can play against them, and they feel the need to come to me, and then to come to me without worrying about interceptions or him stopping me. Next game that’s the way we’ll play.”
Watkins will have to wait a while for that second chance as the Bills next face the Patriots in Week 17. In the meantime, Buffalo will try to right their ship against the Vikings and Jets over the next two weeks.